Ring of Fire
by Cookirini
Summary: Love. You'll go far to make the one you love happy, but watch how you tread..lest you fall into the ring of fire. A tragic story of infidelity, faith, and the illfated things we do for love.


RING OF FIRE

By Cookirini

I

Love is a burning thing  
and it makes a firey ring  
bound by wild desire  
I fell into a ring of fire...

"Ms. Press Secretary! A word!"

"Ms. Secretary, a few questions!"

The group of reporters jumped up en masse as the Crystal Palace's representative entered the press room. With a frown, Naru Osaka stepped up to the podium, her black spectacles propped up onto her head, as opposed to on her face, where they normally were.

Hornets, she thought bitterly as she faced the media bloc. _Just like hornets to swoop in for the sting on their prey._

she thought bitterly as she faced the media bloc. 

"Settle down. Everyone, _down_." Naru brought her hands up, and in response, most of the reporters sat down, though not willingly. "I'm only going to field one question at a time, people. I know how anxious you are to get your story, but I'm not kidding this time."

"Ms. Osaka, what is the pa-"

"What is your respo-"

At this Naru instantly shut her mouth. It took another five minutes before the press finally settled down enough for the conference to continue.

"Ms. Osaka," An American reporter fielded the first question. "What is the Crystal Palace's response to the events regarding the king?"

"We are investigating."

"What about the pictures taken last night by the Swedish press? Has the queen seen them?"

"No comment."

"Where is the king now?" Now a Chinese reporter stood up with a recorder. "What has the queen decided in that regard?"

"The king surrendered last night. And no comment on that." Naru could see the reporters itching to ask more, and she considered ending the meeting pretty soon. "Next question."

"Are the rumors about the king's child true?"

"I-"

"Is," another reporter, Nambibian, could not resist, "the rumor that the queen is barren true?"

This, as it always did, began to flurry of questions. The legitimacy of the princess. The truth about the throne. The reality of the woman they called queen.

"That's it." Naru, as usual, was frustrated by the line of questioning that had been brought up. "This conference is over."

The departure of Naru from the room only heightened the furor in the room. The furor in the room was very quickly translated into furor in all of Earth's media outlets, and soon, there was no doubt that the entire world knew of the terrible event which had happened.

It seemed too good to be true, especially for the queen's enemies; few as the were, they were quite powerful. It seemed like a perfect end to their sore problem of the global hegemony represented by the female usurper, the so-called Queen of Earth. It was seamy, it was scandalous. It was, it seemed, a blessing in disguise to them.

For it was bad enough that the queen of the gods had an unfaithful Zeus to contend with - a king who had taken up another woman and brought her to bed. It as even worse that the woman was assumed to be pregnant with the king's child.

But the nail on the crystal coffin was that the infidelity had been with one of her Sailor Senshi.

--------------------------

The infidelity of the king had ignited words and thoughts that had been hushed for some years. After all, the surest sign of legitimacy to the throne was to carry on the name of Neo-Queen Serenity's previous career - that of the soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon. To that end, the youthful daughter of the queen, Lady Serenity, had assumed the mantle with relative ease. After she ascended to that fabled role, most questions of the heiress' parentage were publicly silenced.

No longer. On this day, Lady Serenity once again faced the scrutiny of her people. Reporters jostled her to and fro as she attempted to get into her car. She was harassed by passer bys on the way to school. Almost all of her childhood friends turned on her, making fun of her, just as they had before she became Sailor Moon.

"See? I told you she didn't look like the Queen!" A milk carton was tossed at her, spilling milk all over her school dress. "She's a fake princess, just like I always suspected!"

"Fake princess! Maybe the king's mistress is _her_ mother too!"

"Just like a bastard to fool us like that!"

Even going home was cold comfort to the teenager, already insecure with her place in life. For waiting for her was her sole friend, her dearest compatriot, with even more salt to add to her wounds.

"Chibi-Usa." Hotaru's face was dark and somber as she took her friend's hand. "I think you need to see this."

"Hotaru-chan?"

"Look at this. This came on earlier today."

"Hotaru…"

"I'm here for you." The girls squeezed hands. "Be strong."

With that, Hotaru led the girl into her bedroom, turned on the television, and sat her down, still holding her hand. As the two girls watched, Lady Serenity simply gasped in horror at what she saw.

"**_At long last,_**" On the television was a man she knew well. A man she considered like a mentor. "**_We are treated to the truth of the king and queen's supposed child. Just as the king came to my daughter this time, so he did with the young princess. That is the truth - that girl is not _my_ princess!_**"

"**_But how do you explain the moon sign and her attacks?_**"

"**_Well, come now, sir!_**" With that, a aged but unchastened Ryoji Hino beckoned to the reporter. "**_Don't you think the king's behavior warrants a test to ensure that the Princess Lady's bloodline is as pure as the queen claims? After all, if the queen can recreate our beloved city with her power, so to can she mask the lineage of a child from the masses!_**"

"**_But don't you find this bold?_**" Another reporter inquired. "**_Leveling such accusations in light of your daughter's actions?_**"

"**_Absolutely not!_**" The man crowed. "**_After all, my daughter's supposed transgression will prove once and for all the legitimacy of this dynasty's choice of future ruler. Should the child not prove to be the queen's..._**"

"**_If she is not?..._**"

"**_...Well, my daughter is a Senshi, and according to our queen's own laws, the heir must have the blood of a Senshi._**" At this, the father of Sailor Mars have a harsh laugh. "**_Well, you figure it out, sir._**."

"No...NO!"

"Chibi-Usa..."

"Why! _Why!_"

At this, the princess' hold on her emotions broke. To have so many people suddenly turn against her, to be subjected to the doubts that had clouded her childhood, to see so many people laugh at her, was too much for her. She collapsed in Hotaru's arms, sobbing hysterically.

She just could not understand why her father could have done what he had done. Especially with _her_.

------------------------

"Your Highness?"

The door to the royal bedroom slowly opened. Slowly, Sailor Mercury entered, her eyes filled with sadness, as she carried a tray of food. She brought it over to the dresser and set it down.

"Usagi-chan." Mercury turned around. "Its time to get up..."

Mercury stopped. Her queen was sitting on the bed, simply staring at Mercury. Her bright blue eyes were filled with tears, filled with confusion and abject defeat. Her skin was pale, and her face was sickly.

"Oh...!"

"I'm not hungry." Serenity's voice came out flatly. "Please, take it away."

"But you haven't eaten...!"

"Ami-chan." Serenity's voice quivered. "_Please_."

For a moment, Mercury hesitated, not willing to disobey, yet unwilling to just let her queen sit and waste away. Finally, however, she obeyed her friend, and slowly took the food out of the room. She closed the door behind her, looking over sadly as she did so.

"She's still not eating?"

"No." Mercury shook her head at the question. "She refuses to eat. That's two days now."

At this, the Sailor Senshi demurred. All but one member of their order were present at that palace, and even then the gathering was unprecedented. Uranus and Neptune, in particular, who had not been in Crystal Tokyo for many years, for their duties lay elsewhere, were standing side by side with Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury. Even Pluto had left the Time Gate to comfort her queen.

"I can't believe it." Mercury looked down. "After all this time...Mars...she went and did _this_..."

"I'll never forgive her." After a moment of silence, Jupiter grit her teeth. "Mars...Rei...that bitch. How can I call her a friend anymore?"

"Calm down, guys." At this Venus rubbed Jupiter's shoulder. "I'm sure it's all one big misunderstanding. I mean, why would Endymion and _Rei-chan_ of all people sleep with each other? They are hardly compatible."

"I don't care how 'compatible' they are." To Venus' surprise, Jupiter jerked herself away. "What Rei did was unforgivable. I could never look at her with kindness after breaking Usagi-chan's heart like that!"

"Hardly compatible, indeed." Neptune turned towards Jupiter darkly. "I agree with Jupiter. As far as I am now concerned, there is no Sailor Mars in our group."

"Neptune!"

"I'm not sure I could forgive Mars either, Venus," Uranus responded with a quiet tone, which was unusual for her. "But to simply act as Mars doesn't exist would have us forget what she else she has done."

"Uranus." Neptune turned towards Uranus. "You think we should associate with Mars still?"

"Well, she is a Sailor Senshi."

"She's a traitor," Jupiter spat. "She betrayed our trust, Usagi-chan's trust and the vow she took when the queen was coronated. Or have you all forgotten?"

There was a silence at this. All of the soldiers looked at one another uneasily.

"'I swear on the waters of Mare Serenitatis'," Pluto murmured. "On the sword of my king, on the power of my queen, and on the soul of my world to be a member of the new world order. I will never look upon another face and proclaim it to be that of my liege. I will never falter in my mission to keep and protect my new homeland of Earth. And...'"

"'...I will never forsake my body or soul to anyone but my queen. I shall never compromise myself for evil, _and will abide by a vow of chastity so my body may stay pure for battle._'." Jupiter finished Pluto off icily. "We all vowed on that day to forsake having physical love with others and the possibility of a family. We kept our vows of chastity because we already have a family. The royal family _is_ our family. You don't betray family."

"Well..." Uranus started, but Neptune poked her in the ribs. "Yes."

"The vow was directed towards making love with _males_." Pluto turned and could not help but smirk at the two lovers. "You two, at least, are safe."

"Well..." Venus raised her hand. "If I may interject, I'll admit that a millennium is a long time for anyone to not have any sort of meaningful relationship. Especially when it comes to Rei-chan. I mean...look at her father."

"You mean the father that's trumpeting how wonderful it will be to have a royal grandchild of his usurp the throne?"

"That's not what I meant." Venus shied away from Jupiter's glare with a nervous laugh. "I mean, she's not had a good relationship with any men in general. Maybe she saw what Mamoru and Usagi-chan had and...wanted a little bit of that."

"That's no excuse." Neptune shook her head. "I'll be glad when Mars is put on trial. She deserves whatever her Highness gives her."

"Neptune-!"

"Let's stop discussing this now," Mercury pointed to the bedroom door. "You know, she can hear you."

"...Right..."

With that, the girls left, leaving the doors unguarded. Had they stopped and paused for a moment, however, they could have heard the proof that the queen needed them at that moment more than they realized. It was faint, but there would have been no mistaking the piercing cry of a wounded heart.

-----------------------

Neo-Queen Serenity stumbled out of the bathroom, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Her night shirt was stained with green - stomach acid. It had been the fourth time she had vomited that morning; even if she had eaten the food that her friend had offered, it would never have stayed down for more than an hour. That was what had been happening lately with Serenity's solid food, regardless of when it was eaten, how it was eaten or what it was. The stress of what was happening now only made it feel worse.

Not that she had been causing herself to vomit. It had been this way for a little over three months. It had been this way ever since she learned another terrible secret - another realization that made Endymion's betrayal all the more horrifying to her.

Almost listlessly, Serenity dropped into her bed and turned on her television. As usual, there was a pundit questioning Serenity's fertility. It had been like this for untold years, but Endymion's betrayal had everyone talking far louder than before. The idea that Small Lady wasn't her daughter. The suggestion that Endymion had foisted Small Lady onto Serenity after she was adopted. The gossip that Serenity suffered from frigidity, was stonily barren and unable to get pregnant - the reason why Endymion went to others to get his pleasure.

But, even as every one else believed it, on person knew it to be a far cry from the truth. It was easy for Serenity to conceive. So easy that even now, in her darkest hour, when others had considered her legacy a lost cause, even as she cried at her misfortune, her hands passed over a bump that was far too round for a barren woman.

Five months. Serenity's vision blurred the pundits on the television as she remembered. _Further than all the ones before._

Serenity's vision blurred the pundits on the television as she remembered. 

For as many years as she could count, Serenity and Endymion had tried in vain to have another child. Their fondest wish had been to have Small Lady; their second fondest wish was to have a younger sibling accompany heir daughter. But they always had something working against them: the legacy of the royals that came from Silver Millennium. Somehow, they had been reduced to having only one child, a daughter. After that, there were no more children.

Of course, Serenity and Endymion tried to conceive once more, and of course that was the easy part. It was carrying it that was impossible. Always, in the first, second, third month - a few times in the fourth - something would happen. Ectopic pregnancy, self-abortion, cysts, twin to twin transfusion, stillborn, brain damage. Everything and anything that could cause a miscarriage had happened to the royal couple; every pregnancy attempt after Small Lady had ended in a dead fetus or embryo being carted away in a jar, or simply buried in the dirt.

How many miscarriages had she suffered? The queen had lost count after twenty, and for quite some time had even decided not to tell Endymion she had conceived, even if she had. Her immortality and eternal youth, which allowed her to suffer such horrors and still retain her form as it had been, was her curse. She would gain 200 pounds, have a pimply face, and develop gout if it meant she could have another child. But she could not. Her perfect being prevented this.

Because of this, also, her love life suffered. She began to make love to Endymion more infrequently, and within the past year had made love to him so rarely that she could count the number on her fingers. The last time, of course, they had conceived; the time before had been three months prior.

But all the hardships, in a way, made this pregnancy a little more hopeful. After she passed the 16 week threshold she secretly rejoiced, though she still did not look or feel pregnant in most of her clothing, which made her sure she was dreaming When she reached 20 weeks, however, reality hit with full force when she discovered that the midsections of her three loosest dresses were suddenly tight to the point of being form fitting around her belly - and her belly started growing bigger and rounder by the day, even by the minute.

It was then that she knew she was really pregnant. She hadn't miscarried; her chances of carrying full term had multiplied by a million. She would finally have something worth giving to Endymion once more. And Serenity had planned on telling him - and everyone else, for she had, of course, hidden it once more in case of another miscarriage - very, very soon.

That is, until Sweden happened.

It was flashed everywhere in the world when it was found out. Endymion had been in Stockholm to present some award; a Swedish yokel who also happened to be a photographer saw which car he snuck into when he left the ceremony. From there, it was only a matter of following him to his hotel, and having a salacious mind to accompany the journey. After all, who knew what was to be found in the room of a king unaccompanied by his wife?

So, disguising himself as a cleaner, the paparazzi horked a key from hotel security and promptly walked in on King Endymion...who was naked, in bed, and in a very compromising position with the sailor soldier of Mars. Shocked, but still able to function, the photographer took several dirty pictures and fled.

And so too, did the king and his fire-wielding jezebel flee the scene. The vow of chastity that Mars had taken had been well publicized; not only the Senshi, but several religious orders took the same vow, and most adults knew an abridged version by heart as their pledge of allegiance. It was bound to a code that was firmly based in the Law of Serenitatis, which was the unbreakable law of the Silver Millennium. Endymion, also, had swore a similar vow on his wedding day, and it was considered that his vow legally bound him to his wife in the same way.

For those religious orders, Sailor Senshi, and Endymion in particular, breaking their vow was tantamount to treason. So, by the time the photos were developed and published ten minutes later, the whole world knew Mars was not only sleeping with a man against her vows - but sleeping with the _king_. Her _best friend's_ husband.

The Swedish and international authorities wasted little time. They scoured Stockholm and searched every uninhabited house they came upon. But the two runaway lovers surrendered, supposedly on their own accord, within two hours. Both had been transported back to Crystal Tokyo amid howls of political conspiracy, dynastic duty, fidelity and sexual deviation, and charged with treason, their tribunal date to be determined. Both were imprisoned underneath the palace, though their prison could hardly be called a prison - especially since it was the basement over the Time Gate, and were spacious quarters to start with.

Of course, Serenity was sure she had almost lost the baby when she heard of the infidelity. That feeling only grew exponentially when she learned that Swedish doctors had examined the two prisoners before their extradition - and found one of them to be in the delicate position of carrying a child that was two months along. On hearing this, Serenity saw red.

She could barely remember what happened next after Ami had told her the terrible news - she was so angry that she blacked out - but by the time she regained her composure, three guards had gauged cheeks, two sailors had bleeding cuts and bruises, tables and chairs were overturned and priceless art had been irreparably damaged. It also appeared that, in her rampage, she had managed to emasculate Raphael's David - no small feat since it was made of bronze and it was on top of a seven-foot-tall marble pedestal - now pushed over and cracked - in the dining room fountain.

After the rage, though, there were many tears and many trips to the toilet waiting for her, as well as hours of her father lecturing her about he had known all along of Mamoru's inherent sex drive and constant infighting within the Senshi as to their current loyalties to Endymion. The stress of all that was happening to her was killing her, she could feel it; she could feel it killing her baby. She couldn't stand it. She had been faithful and Endymion had not. What had she done to deserve it? How could Endymion do it?

"**_I do think,_**" the voice of the next pundit brought Serenity back to the present, " **_that the queen deserves answers. The public deserves answers. We deserve to know the truth about the situation._**"

It was in that moment, as the pundit finished what he said to yet another rebuttal that the queen was barren, the veil of tears that Serenity wore seemed to harden into a mask of adamant. For once, a pundit was right. For once, she had to be tough.

She vowed, then and there, to find out the truth. It could not wait until a tribunal.

"Mako-chan." Serenity took out a communicator and pressed a button. "Bring the prisoners up to my throne room immediately."

* * *

II

The taste of love is sweet  
when hearts like ours meet  
I fell for you like a child  
oh, but the fire went wild..

Endymion could not eat. The food on his tray was not touched by his hand, not even looked at as Endymion paced around his spacious rooms. They seemed cozy enough, or they would have been to the average person. Endymion, on the other hand, knew too well that he was in prison, and that he was a criminal.

A criminal to his wife. To _everybody_.

"Hey!" He could hear the jests of the guards that came in to collect his lunch, and he turned to face them. "Why aren't you eating now? You sure seemed hungry before, didn't you?"

Endymion did not respond to this inquiry, and with that, the guards laughed and left him again to his own devices. Normally, his own device was to think, and think he did.

He remembered the first thing that he heard when he was ushered back to Crystal Tokyo. The remarks of the press as he descended down the stairs of the airplane, his hands cuffed in iron. Behind him was Rei, untransformed, and bearing the brunt of the jeers that awaited the two lovers in their hometown.

"Hey! King!" One man threw a loaf of bread at him. "Going to sleep with another friend of the queen's, are yeh? Asshole!"

"King! A moment of your time!" Cameras were shoved into his face as he was put into a car and driven off to his cell. "Is Small Lady the queen's biological daughter? Who's her real mother? A moment? Please?"

Being in the cell was not much better. He was not allowed to speak to his wife, or to his daughter, the latter relaying through Hotaru that she had no wish to speak to him. His only human communication was with the guards, and anything they decided to pass to him from the outside world. Among the things they passed to him were newspapers decrying his behavior; "HIS ROYAL PIMPNESS OF EARTH" seemed to be his new name, and one paper was even taking bets as to which Senshi he would saddle next.

His revelations were dividing the world. His name was becoming an object of hate. Yet Endymion did not blame the world for his troubles, even as he seethed against it.

It's not fair, he thought bitterly. _They could never understand._

, he thought bitterly. 

He knew full well that no one would ever believe what he had to say anymore. After all, he was married to a beautiful woman whom he had professed his undying love to; no one forced him to marry Usagi. He had a beautiful daughter, and a good home, and a charmed life, first as a superhero, then as ruler of the world. He was King. He had everything a man could ever want, and more than that. He had _everything_.

So what reason could he have to bed a woman not his wife?

"Endymion!"

Suddenly, his door opened once again. Endymion broke from his thoughts, expecting to see the smirking guards again, with yet another paper talking about how shallow he was to sleep around his court. He was surprised to find that it wasn't the case.

"She wants you." With a rough grab, Sailor Jupiter took the disgraced king by the scruff. "Let's go. _Now._"

Not wanting to disobey, Endymion simply walked with the sailor, obeying everything she said and keeping silent. As they walked down the corridor to the elevator, however, he spotted something in the corner of his eye. It was being led by Mercury, being handled far gentler than he was being handled.

"Rei-chan." Endymion's spirits rose. "She wants you too? Then we ca-"

"Shut up."

A kick to the shin sent the king to the ground. As he lay there, moaning, Mercury gave a gasp and stepped up to Jupiter.

"Really!" Mercury's tone was sharp. "You didn't have to do that! He was speaking to her!"

"They had plenty of time to talk when they were in bed," Jupiter icily replied. "Come on. Both of you."

And so the two were walked off towards the elevator, looking at each other warily. Rei was exhausted, and Endymion could see it in her face. She had, also, fear written in her eyes. It was obvious that the fallen soldier was scared of what was to happen next - a forced abortion, banishment, death. Anything was possible with the wrath of a scorned queen.

And, for once, Endymion silently agreed with such an assessment.

-----------------------------

It was a hastily-set up court for the occasion. Chairs were shuffled to and fro, people scurried about, tables banged into walls, and chaos reigned. It was on short notice that the queen desired to see her husband and his mistress; it was even more surprising that she ordered that their tribunal would take place on that day, at that moment, with her as the judge.

"_Was ist dieser Mist?_" A man grumbled as he was escorted into the throne room by Uranus. "_Ist dieses eine Pressekonferenz oder ein königlicher Schlummer Partei?"_

Armed only with a single reporter plucked out of the Crystal Palace press room - an unwitting German cameraman who was placed in the center, where he could see all the courtroom proceedings - the tribunal that was to take place would be informal, but official. It would be captured for the world by one source only, caught on tape so there would be no confusion, no biased spin, no two versions of the truth. The queen had had enough of that.

That it was to be more in the fashion of an informal, and private, interrogation, rather than a regal trial for the ages, was a bit odd in some minds - most of the people were hardly dressed for such an occasion. The queen herself was still in her bathrobe. But what the queen wanted, she normally got, and this was no exception.

Serenity, on her part, was mostly ready, though she fretted as she sat upon her throne awaiting the unwanted guests of her party. She had her reasons for ordering the tribunal in the way she had. For one reason, she didn't want scores of unscrupulous reporters swarming the palace for the exclusive scoop that all journalists craved. For another, there was still the problem of her unannounced pregnancy. No one, not even her closest friends, knew she that she was in a motherly way. They would have definitely known if she wore one of her now-form-fitting dresses.

Perhaps it was coincidence that she fell on her fifth month just as her husband had been discovered - that she had not been seen in public for some time was a good sign for her delaying her announcement. So, she put on her bathrobe, the one article of clothing that she could put on that could allow her to show her condition while simultaneously hiding it. Of course, she still squirmed, hoping that the camera didn't catch a light it wasn't supposed to and reveal her secret. After all, what reason had she to tell the world when they believed she was a barren spinster? And suppose she miscarried, as she always did?

"Your Majesty!" The voice of Uranus bellowed into the room. "The prisoners are here."

With a gasp, Serenity planted herself firmly into her seat, ceasing all covert prenatal activity, as her disgraced husband and former friend entered the room. They came in chains, their eyes cast down to the floor, seemingly in shame, as they were brought front and center to the queen's attention and sat down in their seats.

"_Und..._" The German put on his camera. "_Tätigkeit_!"

At this, even Serenity could not believe how submissive the two were. Endymion and Sailor Mars were two people known for their stubbornness, their tenacity, and their defiance, especially Mars. Yet today, they seemed all too willing, even all too happy, to let their regent try them for crimes that, if found guilty, could cost them everything they had and more. It unnerved Serenity even more than the fact that she was trying her own husband.

"Here they are." After chaining them to their chairs, Jupiter turned to Serenity. "Your Highness?"

"Huh?" At this, Serenity snapped out of her stupor and nervously began. "_Oh!_ Oh...T-the tribunal has begin. P-pluto, read the ch-charges."

"Gladly." Pluto stepped forward and began the formal indictment. "Endymion, King of Earth and Lord of Crystal Tokyo, you are charged with treason for breaking the sacred, legal, and irreversibly binding vow of marriage, outlined by the Law of Serenitatis, that you accorded upon your wife, Serenity, on the day of your wedding. Hino Rei, Sailor Senshi of the planet Mars, you are charged with treason for breaking the vow of chastity, outlined by the Law of Serenitatis, that you accorded on your queen, Serenity. Both parties are also charged with other acts of treason accorded against the throne of Crystal Tokyo, all related to the cases above."

Serenity began to take in a deep, deep breath. From the seeming looks of things, at least with Pluto's beginning, the tribunal would be a long one. She loathed to see what excuse that the two people she had once admired most would make up for her.

"In accordance to the charges stated, " it was here that Pluto turned to Endymion. "Endymion, how do you plead to these accusations?"

"Guilty."

The breath stopped midway. Suddenly, Serenity was choking on air, coughing and hacking in reaction to the word that her lord had uttered. She stared at Endymion, her eyes wide, not sure if she had heard right.

"I...I'm sorry," she stammered. "Could you repeat that?"

"Very well." With the slightest twinkle of amusement in her eye, Pluto turned to the king again. "Endymion, ho-"

"I said _guilty_." This time, the king said it more forcefully. "I plead _guilty_."

"Guilty..."

"I also plead guilty."

Serenity had thought it was a glitch in her hearing when she heard Endymion profess his guilt. Now, as she heard him speak again, and then heard Rei's admission, her head was spinning. She was sure she was losing her mind.

"...Well!" Jupiter went to take up the chains of the prisoners. "Now that that is settled, Serenity, you can sente-"

"Wait."

Jupiter stopped as Serenity raised her hand. She stared at her husband for a moment, trying to read his downcast face, trying to see what was going on in his mind. She could not. It was too confusing.

"I...don't understand." Slowly, she stood up. "Why...are you saying you're guilty?"

"What do you mean?" At this, Endymion looked up at her for the first time. "I am guilty. Rei and I slept together. There's nothing to be confused about."

"Endymion."

Suddenly, Rei looked at Endymion, and Endymion turned to look at his partner in crime. As their eyes met, Serenity saw something she never expected. Two people who slept together, who had shared a night of passion together, there should have been passion in their eyes, some look of longing and love.

Yet there was nothing there. It was simply a look of consent, a look of agreement; concern, but nothing suggestive. There was no love there, no evil, no devious plot of jealousy,. There was not even a hint sexual attraction in their body language towards each other.

"I..." Serenity was stunned. "Endymion?"

"Serenity..." Endymion turned away from Rei and looked at his wife. "It was my fault. I should have told you what I was...what I was planning."

"What?"

"The child...please, before you put me out," which was aimed towards Jupiter. "The child Rei is carrying is yours."

The entire room gasped at this. Even the German cameraman, who thought he had seen everything, opened his mouth to say something to this outrageous claim - and found he was too surprised to say anything at all, let alone anything in a language no one could understand.

"..._What_?"

"Let me explain..." Endymion dropped to his knees. "I know...you are confused..."

"You bet I am!" Serenity's voice shook. "What...what kind of excuse is this? That Rei-chan's child is mine! Everyone _saw_ those photos! So how can you love _me_ and have a child with _me_ when you slept with _her_?"

"I-"

"What do you plan on telling our daughter!" Serenity shook her head. "Are you going to try this excuse with _her_! Do you know how _devastated _she is! How...how can you make up such a terrible thing to say to me! _Why_?"

"Because it _is_!" Endymion's eyes shut tightly. "Because I...I don't love Rei! I _can't_ love Rei! You can't believe what all those people are saying!"

"Then _why did you really sleep with her!_"

"To give you a child!"

Rei's outburst stopped the argument between the two. Everyone was now looking at Rei, who was clearly on the verge of crying.

"Usagi-chan..." Rei slammed her hands down on the table. "It's the _truth_! You _must_ believe us! Endymion and I conceived this child in order to give it to _you_!"

"Rei."

"It was his idea." Rei looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He came to me a year ago. He...he found out that you had miscarried again, and he was so devastated...he knew."

"What...?"

"He didn't tell me how he knew, but he told me that you had fallen into a depression and...and that you'd stopped making love to him." Serenity's hand went to her mouth. "He knew what was bothering you. You wanted another child more than anything in the world. But you couldn't. So I...gave myself to him."

The entire room was simply silent as Rei finished what she said. With that, she sat down, silent, as Endymion stood up. There were tears in his eyes as well.

"I'm...so sorry." Tears began to roll down his eyes as well. "Think whatever you will of me. Let our daughter do what she will with my memory. I don't care what anyone else says in the press now. I just...don't care. I just...want you to know that...just know that we didn't do this...to hurt you. Not in that way..."

At this, Serenity gave a moan. So overblown, so easy to believe others. But looking in her husband's eyes, she realized that what he said was the truth. It was for her happiness. But it was a great sorrow to her, because she knew something else that no one else had discovered just yet.

And it was the great irony - his infidelity was out of loyalty. Yet had she simply _told_ him...

"Mamo-chan..." Groaning her lover's old name, she held her belly. "Mamo-chan, _I'm pregnant!_"

With that, she ran out of the room, crying hysterically. At the astonishing truth, Endymion's face simply paled, and he collapsed into his chair, sobbing, as the realization set in. There would be no verdict for this trial, no more prosecution, and no more infidelity to right wrongs. No amount of press bias or pundit spin could change that simple fact.

---------------------

I fell in to a burning ring of fire  
I went down,down,down  
and the flames went higher.  
And it burns,burns,burns  
the ring of fire  
the ring of fire.

I fell in to a burning ring of fire...

FIN.

Song lyrics from "Ring of Fire". Song is copyright 1963 to June Cash/Merle Kilgore, copyright 2004 to the Cash estate. Sailor Moon and all related characters are copyright 1992 Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha, Toei, Bandai, etc. Finally, story copyright 2005 Papirini/Cookirini. All rights are reserved. All plagiarists are eaten with ketchup.


End file.
